Empowering Kids with Generative AI

How can we introduce Generative AI to children and teenagers in a way that is engaging, practical, and meaningful? In this talk, I will share how we’ve done exactly that through real-world, hands-on experiences at Digital Wings Academy, our online coding school for kids. We’ve developed a series of mobile app projects where young students (ages 9–14) design their own escape room adventures or generate educational quizzes connected to school subjects—powered by generative AI. Using tools like MIT App Inventor and Gemini (Google's large language model), kids are able to create interactive experiences where the AI becomes part of the game or learning journey. As a fully remote academy, we’ve been able to reach students from different locations, allowing them to build and publish their own apps while learning core programming and AI concepts in a fun, supportive, and collaborative online environment. This talk will cover the technical and educational foundations of these projects, the challenges of adapting AI concepts to a young audience, and the positive impact it has had on their creativity, digital literacy, and motivation to learn programming. Attendees will leave with concrete ideas, code examples, and a fresh perspective on how to bring AI to the next generation in fun and empowering ways.